Social Worker Fired for having a Concealed Carry Permit

Mar 12, 2018

Let me, reiterate the title .

A social worker from Roanoke, Virginia is claiming that she was fired from her job as a social worker for having a concealed carry license. Not for carrying a gun into her job, but simply for having a concealed carry permit!

I kid you not.

I was fired today. From Roanoke City Social Services, serving as a damn good social worker. I was fired for having a concealed carry permit. Not the gun, the permit. I was escorted by 3 city police officers bc I am a "safety risk to the building"

— Storm Durham (@chelstorrm) March 10, 2018

This is her side of the story, and we’ve yet to hear anything from her the Roanoke social services office so we can’t be 100% sure (yet) about what really happened.

However, if her story is accurate, and it sure does have the ‘ring of truth,’ then this is another explosive example of the anti-Constitution leftism that has become commonplace in America today.

Here’s Storm Dunham’s story, in her own words;

I was fired today. I was fired by a Department of Virginia… Social Services the people who are supposed to be there to keep kids safe and develop families into better people for each other. I was fired today due to having a concealed carry permit. Was my gun on me? No. Has it ever been on me during my job, or visits, or anything related to work? No. When I told them that it has never been on me during work, what did they say? “How do we know that.” Search me. Do I have a criminal record? No. Do I, (yes the 22 year old blonde who is 5’2 and about 140 pounds who loves everything Disney, pink, and basic), come across as a threat to you? If you know me I’m pretty sure you’ve never been shaking in your boots due to my vary presence. But today, I was escorted by not one, not two, but three Roanoke City Police Officers to my office where I packed up months of thank you cards, and pictures of kids I’ve helped. I was escorted by officers who have been with me on visits where I placed a child with a relative due to risks, or when I was hugged by a child because they finally felt safe again. I was told to pack immediately and that I could not even use the bathroom to take a minute for myself because of my “serious safety concerns to the building.” I have a concealed carry permit. I own guns. I hunt. I target shoot. I represent Women hunters and outdoorswomen. Does that make me a criminal? Does that make me a safety risk to others? A big enough safety risk to be escorted by three Roanoke City Police officers? So scary and threatening that I need to be treated like a criminal? To be humiliated and looked down upon for owning a gun? For legally having a gun, registering that gun, and having the appropriate documentation for that gun?

The Constitution of the United States of America. The one document that has followed us for years, and will continue to be the power resource of all we do as Americans. The second amendment: the right to bear arms. The Roanoke City Department of Social Services, CPS investigations, Don Goss, Jenny Alexander, and the entire human resources department should be ashamed. They should be publically known that they did this. That they fired a innocent, clean record, white, female, college graduate who works for a living for legally registering, having, and owning a gun. That was NEVER on their property or in their building. A gun that was never used for evil, but as protection as I am a survivor or sexual assault. Protection for being that white, 22 year old, female. I am an American. A gun owner. And a proud sponsor of hunting across America, and I, nor my lawyers, judges, or support systems will rest until something is done. Until someone answers for punishing me and taking away my constitutional right.

She also says that the issue of her gun permit first came up a couple of months ago when she was called into her employers office and asked if she “felt safe at home?” Why would this question come up? Dunham thinks that one of her coworkers likely noticed some of her pictures, or updates on social media and brought it to the attention of her supervisors, leading them to find reasons to fire her.

I was called in my boss’s office around 2 months ago asking if I felt safe at home and if there is any DV bc it was brought to their attention we have guns in the home. LEGAL GUNS.

— Storm Durham (@chelstorrm) March 10, 2018

Durham said that her employer did give her a series of reasons for letting her go, including; her concealed carry license, wearing loafers at a training, and a job requirement that was not properly fulfilled because she missed time due to injury (also, Durham says that she cleared up that misunderstanding, so it shouldn’t have been cited as a problem).

After first posting that she had been fired for having a concealed carry permit, Durham faced quite a bit of backlash on social media, including some who commented that she had really been fired because she and her boyfriend were ‘psychopaths’ who brought their guns into work, and threatened one of her coworkers.

“You sure this has nothing to do with you dating a psychopath? Cause your boy brought a gun to DSS when you got in trouble. He also threatened to slit the throat of another worker.

Also, you are emotionally unstable and shouldn’t be around children. AT ALL. How many times do you need to lock yourself in an office and throw a fit because you were corrected?”

Then the commenter added this little gem, which makes everything that comes before seem like he may have just been trolling Durham, “And we all know you ain’t no 140lbs.” Yeesh, real mature.

On Saturday, Durham posted a series of Facebook live videos to go into more depth about her situation and explains that the rumors of her psychotic boyfriend are complete nonsense.

Durham explained that neither she, nor her boyfriend, had ever carried a gun on to government property.

She also explained that the reason she pursued her concealed carry permit in the first place was because she was a victim sexual assault and wanted to be sure that she could protect herself in the future.

Finally, Durham attempted to reassure everyone that she was never a threat to her coworkers or her workplace, and any implication that she was is ridiculous.

Durham also assured everyone that lawyers were already involved and she was pursuing her legal options.

Oh don’t worry y’all lawyers are involved. Thanks so much for the support…just hopefully it gets picked up for free now

— Storm Durham (@chelstorrm) March 10, 2018

It sounds like a simply humiliating ordeal, and no law abiding American citizens should ever be forced to put up with such behavior.

There are over 300 million legal firearms in America (perhaps as high as 600 million), and most surveys estimate that more than 40% of American households own a firearm of some sort. This is not a unique issue on the American landscape, so for anyone, in particular a government employee, to be treated as if exercising her lawful, Constitutional rights was something out of the mainstream is just reprehensible.

Every law abiding American, no matter what job they have, has the right to be armed with a firearm – and their reasons for owning that gun don’t matter.

If Durham is being honest, and if this is a case of an employee being persecuted for being a concealed carry permit holder and a gun owner, then her employers should face stiff penalties from both the courts and their superiors.

Durham may have said it best when she was defending her right to keep and bear:

“I have a concealed carry permit. I own guns. I hunt. I target shoot. I represent Women hunters and outdoorswomen. Does that make me a criminal? Does that make me a safety risk to others? A big enough safety risk to be escorted by three Roanoke City Police officers? So scary and threatening that I need to be treated like a criminal? To be humiliated and looked down upon for owning a gun? For legally having a gun, registering that gun, and having the appropriate documentation for that gun?

…

I am an American, a gun owner, and a proud sponsor of hunting across America, and I, nor my lawyers, judges, or support systems will rest until something is done until someone answers for punishing me and taking away my constitutional right.”

Here are a couple of other follow-up Facebook videos that Durham posted to let everyone know when she would be appearing on TV and Radio, but to also add more depth to her story.

If and when her former employers issue a statement, we’ll be sure to update the story to include their side of the dispute.

For now, this story sounds like it could be an egregious miscarriage of justice on the part of the Roanoke, Virginia government and child services.

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